Asteroid · 4

Vesta

The source of a meteorite family

Dawn mapped Vesta’s impact basins and layered geology. Measurements link Vesta to the howardite–eucrite–diogenite meteorites found on Earth.

4 Vesta · spacecraft or telescope observation
Dawn view of Vesta. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA · Image source ↗

Explore the shape

NASA visualization model. Shape and surface appearance are reference representations, not live observations. · NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) ↗

Understand this world

The asteroid belt is mostly spaceUnderstand the belt’s sparse population, Jupiter’s resonances and the different histories preserved by its larger objects. · 3 min

Measurements

Effective diameter
522.77 km
Semimajor axis
2.361 AU
Orbital period
1,325.389 Earth days
Orbit, physical values and uncertainties
eccentricity
.09020374382834395 ± 2.2909E-10
semi-major axis
2.361365965127599 au ± 1.5328E-9
perihelion distance
2.148361914524259 au ± 1.9335E-9
inclination; angle with respect to x-y ecliptic plane
7.143925545058711 deg ± 2.1704E-7
longitude of the ascending node
103.701293265032 deg ± 3.8827E-7
argument of perihelion
151.4686478221564 deg ± 1.8814E-7
mean anomaly
81.19015607686903 deg ± 1.9021E-6
time of perihelion passage
2460901.587379842988 TDB ± 6.7119E-6
sidereal orbital period
1325.389042911101 d ± 1.2905E-6
mean motion
.2716183613599909 deg/d ± 2.6447E-10
aphelion distance
2.574370015730939 au ± 1.6711E-9
absolute magnitude
3.25
magnitude slope
0.32
diameter
522.77 km ± 0.1
extent
569.24 x 554.48 x 452.66 km ± 0.1 x 0.1 x 0.1
GM
17.2882844 km^3/s^2 ± 0.0000030
bulk density
3.460 g/cm^3 ± 0.005
rotation period
5.3421276322 h ± 0.0000000004
pole direction
309.06110/42.232386 ± 0.00031/0.000068
geometric albedo
0.4228 ± 0.053
B-V
0.782 ± 0.020
U-B
0.492 ± 0.030
Tholen spectral type
V
SMASSII spectral type
V

Published JPL orbital elements describe their stated epoch; they are not current positions. Small-body diameters can be effective/model-dependent sizes, not spherical shapes. Missing measurements remain unavailable. Pluto’s diameter uses the New Horizons reference rather than an empty SBDB field. Orbital epoch: JD 2461200.5 TDB.

Object reference ↗

Missions & milestones

1 launches · 0 connected events

These are target-related flights and every connected programme record in the production catalogue. A connected event may concern another stage or target of the same journey. Launch outcome does not establish arrival or current operation.

TARGET-RELATED FLIGHT

Dawn

September 27, 2007 · UTC

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Complete source cohort: 9,386 records.

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